REFLECTING ON AN INCREDIBLE 2019
Greetings!
The Christmas and Holiday season is a time of reflection. As I look back at 2019, I am reminded not of the challenges of our work, but the opportunities of our work. I reflect on the motto of this year’s Summit: To achieve outcomes that have never been realized, we must do things that have never been done.
The future we are creating together is one that is one of the most remarkable stories in the history of Appalachia. We are collaborating across sectors, communities, counties, and regions to dream bigger and reach higher. We have a plan – The Blueprint for the Future of Appalachia – and that plan is not sitting on a shelf. It is our driving force that allows the ingenuity and ideas of our people to be front and center… and they are making a substantial impact across the region.
Here’s just a brief snapshot of what we accomplished in 2019 using our seven Blueprint goals as a guide:
Broadband Connectivity
Kentucky Wired Rings 1A and 2 are now live throughout Appalachia Kentucky, allowing Internet Service Providers to connect to this middle-mile network for enhanced service to customers.
We are working with our Blueprint Partners at The Center for Rural Development (supported by an ARC Power Grant) to provide Technology Assistance programs communities to assist in the build out of last-mile broadband projects.
21st Century Workforce
Our Grassroots Partners at Teleworks USA created more than 630 jobs in 2019, representing more than $13,773,760 in annual wages throughout Appalachia Kentucky.
Digital Careers Now created 205 jobs in 2019 and expanded its partnership with General Dynamics Information Technology to hire individuals at Digital Career Now Hubs in Hazard, Cumberland and Paintsville on the campuses of Hazard, Southeast Kentucky, and Big Sandy community and technical colleges.
We have led the effort, alongside the Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program, Inc. (EKCEP) and the Kentucky State Chamber Workforce Center, to utilize the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation Talent Pipeline Management Initiative (TPM), to bring together representatives from the healthcare and training communities to address the opportunities for employment within our healthcare sector. We have identified that 730 registered nurses will be needed throughout the region by 2021, and we are working with providers and educational partners to fill this need.
Small Business in the Digital Economy
Through a partnership with the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development’s KY Innovation office, we have identified 446 businesses that have the capacity to grow by leveraging technology to grow existing customers or reach new customers. Our Business and Innovation team have closed on 131 incentives for these businesses.
Healthy Communities
Eight of the top ten counties and 14 of the top 20 counties to have the greatest decline in drug overdose mortality rates are in Appalachia Kentucky. This is according to a study commissioned by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) to the NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis and the UK Center of Excellence in Rural Health.
Our Blueprint Partners at Operation UNITE continue to be on the frontlines working on treatment and educational efforts to combat Substance Use Disorder. They provided 186 individuals vouchers for treatment totaling $930,000. On the education front, UNITE’s school-based clubs have more than 10,000 members and are working in their communities to educate and eradicate substance use disorder across the region.
Our Cornerstone Partners at Addiction Recovery Care, through a collaboration with SOAR, EKCEP, and Sullivan University, graduated 75 Peer Support Specialists in 2019. Forty-nine of those graduates are employed. Addiction Recovery Care also opened Second Chance Auto, a 10-employee full-service auto repair and body shop. This year, they serviced more than 3,500 vehicles.
Our Presenting Partners at Pikeville Medical Center are currently constructing a $6 million Children’s Hospital, the first of its kind in Appalachia Kentucky. It will be located on the hospital’s main campus and will open in 2020.
Industrial Recruitment
Our Grassroots Partners at AppHarvest began construction of its more than 2.5 million square-foot high-tech greenhouse in Morehead. The company also reeled in $100 million in investments for the project, which is the size of 48 football fields and is the largest LED light installation in the world. Construction is set to be completed in 2020 and once fully operational, AppHarvest will have 280 full-time employees on site.
Local Foods
Our Unity Partners at Kentucky Proud, through the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, expanded the Appalachia Proud brand to encompass all 54 counties in 2019. Seventeen counties were added, bringing in more than 1,000 new members to the Appalachia Proud program.
Tourism
Our Blueprint Partners at East Kentucky PRIDE, through the support of an ARC POWER grant, has created a regional marketing and branding strategy called the Kentucky Wildlands for 41 counties in Appalachia Kentucky.
The Appalachian Wildlife Center changed its name to Boone’s Ridge in 2019. The project, which encompasses 12,000 acres, is currently being constructed. The center will house various trails, several museums, a theater, a restaurant, an artisans’ exhibit hall, a gift shop, bird observatories, and a zoo. The project was awarded a $23.5 million loan guarantee by the USDA in 2019, and it is set to open in 2021.
And this is just a small snippet of the transformation taking place across Appalachia Kentucky. Our Blueprint has goals and it guides our work, but none of this could not happen without you.
If you contribute financially, thank you!
If you contribute through your work, thank you!
If you would like to contribute and join a partner network of more than 250 businesses, organizations, and individuals, click here or reach out to me or Associate Executive Director Joshua Ball at joshua@soar-ky.org.
It is our hope that your Christmas and Holiday season be a festive time full of joy, love, family, friends. and reflection.
We are so thankful for you.
Happy New Year!
Jared Arnett | Executive Director
